1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording tape cartridge including a case within which is housed a single reel wound with a recording tape, such as a magnetic tape, mainly used as a recording and playback medium for computers and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic tape cartridges including a case within which is housed a single reel wound with a magnetic tape used as a recording and playback medium for computers and the like have conventionally been known. A leader member, such as a leader pin, a leader tape, or a leader block, is disposed at a leading end of the magnetic tape. Pull-out means disposed at a drive device pulls out the leader member through an opening in the magnetic tape cartridge and winds the magnetic tape fixed to the leader member around a take-up reel of the drive device.
A reel gear is annularly disposed in a center of a bottom surface of the reel, which is exposed through an open hole that penetrates a bottom surface of the magnetic tape cartridge. A drive gear disposed at a rotating shaft of the drive device meshes with the reel gear, whereby the reel is rotatingly driven. Data can be recorded on the magnetic tape, and data recorded on the magnetic tape can be played back, by synchronously rotating the reel of the magnetic tape cartridge and the take-up reel of the drive device.
Magnetic tape cartridges having such a configuration have advantages in that housing space during storage is small and a large amount of information can be recorded therein. However, as described above, because it is necessary for various types of leader members to be pulled out by the pull-out means disposed at the drive device, and because the drive gear must mesh with the reel gear, positional precision when the magnetic tape cartridge is loaded into the drive device has become a very important issue.